When Education is NOT Enough

When I was younger I attended private school. In preschool and prekindergarten I went to a catholic school, kindergarten through 3rd grade I attended christian school, 4th grade I went back to catholic school, and in 5th grade I went back to a christian school. When I reached junior high I attended a Chicago public school until I graduated high school. Though I equally spent time in both private and public school, it was public school that I remember most; though private school gave me a firm foundation.

When I went to public school I learned that there was a separation between church and state: prayer was taken out of the schools, I no longer had to take religion classes nor did I have to attend Mass on Wednesday. And while, I understand the ruling of church and state, and ultimately thought it was cool that I wasn’t forced to learn christianity in school, in retrospect I realize that education has never been enough.

For a long period of time, I depended on what I learned in school for success. It was in my strength that I tried to make things happen, tried to be among the best thinkers in the world, and just be awesome. Nothing is wrong with that either. However, there came a time where theories and intellect still left me empty. Now I must express that I a m a strong advocate for education or else I wouldn’t be pursuing a doctoral degree, but I also want you to know that education is not all that you need.

You need a relationship with God who is the source of your strength and the most intellectual man you will ever know. Think about it, why would you not study under the man who knows everything and everyone? One reason why I chose the program I’m in now in school is because one of the most prolific scholars in my field is my mentor. I have to admit that having access to her makes my life much easier. So if this is true of a mere mortal, how much truer is it about God?

Sometimes the things that I learn at school leave me confused and are in direct opposition with my spirit man. At one point I didn’t notice the opposition but as I became more spiritually aware, I noticed the contradiction. I believe that it’s tough to be between opposing opinions. However, if you have access to the teachers manual things will be better, right?

I’m saying that it is good to be knowledgeable, but in being knowledgeable it is better to get wisdom through understanding. Understanding comes through the word of God. Though it’s not always easy to study to Word, it has tremendously helped me not lose my mind. It has helped me not to tap into areas that could be spiritually harmful and keeps me grounded.

Sometimes we caught up with earning the degree but at the end of our college careers we are still lost and many of us jobless. There are so many stories out there that talk about how college degrees don’t guarantee a job and it’s not what you know but who you know. Well if that is true then why not know the man who can open doors that no man can shut?